Australia's Alex Carey's Brilliant Hundred Aids The Baggy Greens Bounce Back After Early England Ashes Charge.

In the wake of that chaos from the Perth Test and Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more traditional brand regarding the longest format broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted locals, the day proved a day to enjoy, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered a magnificent century on his home ground to help the home side edge day one.

However, England, trailing 2-0 while still fighting in the contest, were too downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like an ominous coin toss and, though not at their best, his bowlers continued plugging away in scorching heat. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 from 83 overs – runs on the board but surely below their ambitions when Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

Jofra Archer Stands Out For England's Fightback.

The standout for England was speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off 16 overs were a strong riposte to some of scrutiny that came this past week. Here he visibly led the bowling unit, clocking 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer while providing Stokes a combination of accuracy together with clear menace. Only at the end of play – one over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit weary.

Having bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's initial over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's golden duck served as a stark reminder that cricket can swiftly bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, coming from tepid chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than a day after securing a massive multi-million dollar deal in the IPL.

The Keeper's Priceless Innings Steadies The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was simply priceless, peaking around 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three which prompted the crowd to rise with a roar. Coming off his virtuoso display with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's aggressive 106 off 143 balls ensured that a post-lunch wobble of 94 for four failed to develop into a full-blown crisis. At 34, Carey has become a serious cricketer these days.

Australia undoubtedly left a few potential runs out there, though. Gone was that excessive bounce of the opening matches and in its place only a fraction of nibble if a good length was located.

There was also some turn to Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-timer – hence expensive figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop and A Late Team Change.

This was inevitably an emotional day for Australia, arriving so soon after the horrific tragic incident in Bondi. A minute's silence prior to the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by musician a rendition performing an emotional rendition of the anthem True Blue.

Earlier, Australia were also compelled to make an alteration to their announced starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – an apparent recurrence of the vertigo that has intermittently troubled the star batter since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

In came Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his Test career may be over. Before the wicketkeeper's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the Australian innings steady, coming to the crease at 33 for two before crafting a fine 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Stands worth 61 runs with Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Alex Carey proved significant.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the sapping heat, it remained yet another disappointing day from England’s attack. Brydon Carse rather continued his inconsistent form from the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 off 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball first thing, no-balling on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day for both sides: moments of brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.